Cup of Poison

Socrates' execution requires that he drink a cup
of hemlock. Found in Europe and parts of Asia, hemlock is a poisonous herb
that looks a great deal like parsley. You would not, however, want this
"fool's-parsley" dressing the side of your dinner plate!

It is bad enough that Socrates is unjustly sentenced
to death, but to carry out his own execution is a bit much! Indeed, for many
of us, it would seem that he is committing suicide. Bear in mind, however,
that a sense of honor meant something different in his day than it does
in our own. It would have been unthinkable for
Socrates to have been forced to consume
the deadly brew or for him to go to his death like a coward, kicking and
screaming.